Mumbai: Expelled Samajwadi Party leader Amar
Singh today blamed his former colleague Abu Asim Azmi for the
problems that north Indians had to face during the MNS
agitation against them last year.

Addressing a press conference here after inaugurating an
educational and welfare foundation in memory of former Prime
Minister Chandrashekhar, Singh said the "Lathi" rally
organised by Azmi in Mumbai was wrong as it led to thousands
of north Indians fleeing Maharashtra especially the labour
class in Pune and Nashik.

"There is a cultured way of putting across your views,"
he said.

When asked as to why he had mellowed down and gone soft
on Raj Thackeray, Singh said he had become matured.

According to him, in the pre-independence Congress party,
there were moderates and extremists groups. "In the end,
moderates won," he said.

"Politicians like me have Z plus security. But, what
about the man on the street. He has to comprise the most in a
political turf war," he said.

Reacting to Raj`s stand on screening of Marathi movies,
Singh said he saw nothing wrong with it.

"In Kolkata, there are dedicated theatres for screening
of Bengali films. Late actor Rajkumar worked throughout his
life for promotion and encouragement to Kannada cinema. Why
should there be an objection to Marathi in Mumbai?," he asked.